New Video: A rare double sided opal

In this new video Justin cuts a rare double sided opal and shows how you can ensure that you get amazing color on both sides.

Double sided opals are called this because usually there is a colour bar on the top and the bottom of the stone. The trick is to ensure that you are facing the stone perfectly to allow both sides to shine. More often than not you are going to have to “sacrifice ” one side to ensure the best colour and pattern. The rarity comes in when you don’t have to and both sides are awesome!

I looked for some ideas on how you can set a stone such as this and it was hard to find. A jeweller here in Australia that I have admired for years is unique in my mind for having solved how to do this beautifully. Robert Clerc is a designer of organic pieces which are very attuned to nature. Most famously he is greatly influenced by Egyptian motifs and has produced a swivel ring design in his collections since 1975.

The Scarab collection showcases this unique design perfectly and I would love to see him use a double sided opal in a future commission.

What do you think? Do you have any ideas for how to set a double sided opal? Have you already done it? We would love to see your designs!

All our opal is exclusively from the opal mines of Lightning Ridge Australia.
100 percent natural and ethically sourced, we make it easy for you to buy the worlds best black opal in the rough or as a polished gem.
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